Sequestration
by Moonfairyhime
Summary: The future isn't tomorrow, it's today, and this future isn't what anyone had expected. Humans stand between Vatic and Shade. Both brothers walk the path they believe is correct, but who knows what is right and wrong anymore?
1. Chapter 1

Title: Sequestration  
Author: moonfairyhime  
Rating: M, language and graphic scenes  
Disclaimer: I don't own _Supernatural_.  
Summary: The future isn't tomorrow, it's today, and this future isn't what anyone had expected. Humans stand between Vatic and Shade. Both brothers walk the path they believe is correct, but who knows what is right and wrong anymore?  
Feedback: I'd really appreciate it.  
Author's Notes and Warnings: This is AU. When I say AU, I mean AU. Slashy overtones, but only if you're really looking for them.

* * *

The world as everyone knew it ended on a Wednesday. This was, by large, very unsuspected. Only the best seers knew that the end was coming and most decided that it would be easier to die than to face what they knew was coming. A few others believed that the rebirth of the world would be an interesting thing to see, so they went forth and found others like them and hid. And those who had known from birth, well, they felt like the long wait was over and they could begin to truly live. 

The humans who didn't die from the poisonous fog that covered the Earth soon wished they did. The fog destroyed buildings and other objects along with human lives. Then creatures from Below began to come forth from every available orifice. Mothers were forced to watch as their daughters were raped in front of them before they were raped also. Their broken bodies soon became food for some hungry creature. Fathers were made to watch their little sons be eaten by the creature under the bed, the very thing that these fathers promised their little sons never existed. Families were torn apart, limb by limb, each becoming a meal for some creature they thought never existed. Those who survived hid well and had big guns. Objects that had survived were almost looked upon as blessed, but the people knew that God had forsaken them.

The fight to survive had begun and humans had always been stubborn creatures.

And the psychics waited.

Dean Winchester squinted through the fog that now seemed to cover the Earth. He could almost see the sun. After the first month, the fog had risen to a more tolerable level, well above what remained of most buildings. Dean glanced at his father as John walked towards him. "What's up Dad?"

"Well, from what I got from the locals, we are headed in the right direction to what remains of Stanford." John said as he straddled his motorcycle. The Impala was far too cumbersome to drive through what remained of the United States, so Dean and John had been forced to ride motorcycles on their quest. The owners of the motorcycles wouldn't miss them too much; it's kind of hard to ride a motorcycle with no arms, legs, or eyes. "Dean, you know it's possible that Sam was one of the many who…"

"Don't say it, Dad. Sammy's alive. I know it."

"Dean, I'm just trying to think realistically. It's been six months since Below came Above. If Sam were alive-"

"-is alive-"

John sighed. "Okay. If Sam_is_ alive, then why hasn't he contacted us somehow?"

"Maybe because there are no more phone lines or cell phones or computers. Dad, most towns don't even have electricity anymore. Maybe Sam is trying to find us and we keep missing him by a day or he's a town behind us. Sam's smart, Dad. He's probably hiding somewhere, staying out of sight until we come for him."

"We'll go to Stanford, Dean, but if Sam isn't alive, don't let it destroy you."

Dean revved his bike instead of answering his father. Dean knew that John wanted Sam to be alive more than Dean did. Sam and Dean had talked at various times during Sam's stint at Stanford, but Sam and John had not talked at all since Sam walked out of their apartment of the week four years before Below came Above. Sam's death would probably be the end of John. Sam was the last trace of Mary that John had.

And if Dean was completely honest with himself, Sam's death would be his also.

The remaining people of the Earth after Below came Above were true survivors. They were the people who had no problem with shooting things that came from their scariest childhood nightmares. They hid well, using caves and digging holes, camouflaging themselves with whatever they could. Small villages had been built deep in what remained of the forests. Where tall buildings once stood, people had made homes out the rubble. People made their own laws and banded together for the good of everyone. A new society was forming; formed by resilient people who didn't take shit from anything, whether it was human or not.

The humans who had once been the hunters had become the hunted. When one chose to travel (and not many people did), an arsenal that could take over a small country was needed to protect oneself. The things out there didn't believe in mercy and humans were learning that mercy meant death.

Dean and John walked past what remained of the sign that may have once read "Welcome to Stanford University". It now read "Wel to ford sity". Dean and John looked around at the once beautiful campus before Dean stopped, trying to get his bearings.

"What's up, Dean?"

"Trying to remember where the dorm is where Sam lived."

"Here often, were you?"

"I was here about as often as you were. The only difference is I was brave enough to get out the car and say hi to Sammy."

John winced at Dean's remark, but opted not to reply. Dean nodded to himself and began to walk in a direction that at one time may have lead to a building, but now lead to a pile of rubble. As John and Dean approached the rubble, two heads appeared out of two small holes. One appeared to maybe have been a student at Stanford while another looked like a professor. Both looked wary, but it was the older man who out-right glared at both John and Dean. "Who the hell are you and why are you here?"

Dean stepped forward, hands up in a peaceful gesture. "My name is Dean Winchester, and this is my father John Winchester. We're looking for my brother, Sam Winchester. He was a student here, before Below came Above. He majored in Pre-Law and he lived here with his girlfriend, Jessica."

The one who looked like a student suddenly disappeared and was replaced by another student. "My name is Jeff Maxwell. I was a friend of Sam's."

Dean and John both felt their hearts drop into their stomachs. It was John who asked the dreaded question. "What do you mean _was_? Did Sam…"

Jeff seemed to realize his mistake. "No! I don't mean Sam is dead. I mean I don't know where he is. Four days before Below came Above, I went to check on Sam. He had been sick and Jessica was out of town, visiting her grandmother. When I stopped in before class, he seemed almost back to health, but still a little bit weak. I came back later that night with some fresh coffee and soup, and he was gone. I tried to get a hold of him via his cell phone, but it was in the room. I tried Jessica's cell, and she hadn't heard from Sam either. I'm sorry, guys, but I don't know where Sam is."

Dean felt his spirits raise a little. "You never found a body?"

"No, it was like Sam disappeared off the face of the planet."

John paused. "What happened to Sam's girlfriend, Jessica?"

Jeff's face looked pinched. "She's dead. Made it back to campus about a day before Below came Above. She died almost instantly when the fog began to cover the Earth."

John turned and started walking back towards their motorcycles. Dean looked at both the professor at Jeff. "Thanks for your time. Stay safe."

Jeff nodded. "You do the same. Oh, if you see Sam again, tell him about Jessica and let him know I said hi."

Dean nodded and walked back to John and their motorcycles.

"What now, son?" John asked.

"I'm going to keep looking for Sammy. I know he's out there." Dean said and John noticed the determined glint in his older son's eyes.

"Dean," John said and sighed. "Sam is probably dead."

"You don't know that without a body."

"_Dean_ . We can't keep looking for Sam. We tried Stanford, he isn't here. We should move on. See if some village wants us to protect them."

"Dad, why are you giving up so easily on Sam? You hunted the thing that killed mom for twenty-two years before Below came Above and you're giving up on Sam after six months?"

"Dean, if he left Stanford, he probably doesn't want to be found. Maybe he's alive, maybe he's not. You seem to forget that Sam walked out on us first." John sighed. "We can't hunt any more, Dean. Humans have gone from being the hunters to the hunted. Look, stay with me and we'll get a job with a village. If we hear any news about Sam, we can go and find out about it. Hell, if you want to, I'm sure we can fandangle a month or so out of the year to look for him. It's too dangerous out there for one person, Dean."

Dean sighed, knowing his father was right, but still wanting to look for his beloved baby brother. "All right, Dad. Let's get out of here."

Two years after Below came Above, life for humans was getting interesting and dangerous again. Two groups had emerged and the humans found themselves stuck in the middle of a civil war they wanted no part of. Demons had managed to ally themselves with almost every evil creature and they began an onslaught against humanity. They called their collective group Shade. The same time as Shade began to try to control humanity, the psychics, who named themselves Vatic, appeared. Both parties claimed to have humanity's best interest at heart. If humanity chose to ally themselves with Shade, the creatures promised to stop attacking humans. Vatic claimed to have humanity's best interest at heart, but the humans wanted to know where they had been when Below came Above.

Humanity, on an agreement that most of the remaining populace agreed with, was against anyone attempting to control them, no matter who tried it. Humanity just wanted to be left alone to pick up the meager pieces of their life, which they had been doing rather successfully before Shade and Vatic arrived.

Dean and John Winchester had found a job protecting a small group of people who lived in what may have been a warehouse a month after they found out that Sam had disappeared. In exchange for protecting the people, Dean and John had a small living area and were fed by the people. One year after they took the job, a psychic trying to kill a demon killed John by accident. Although the psychic was very apologetic and gave the village all of her foodstuffs, Dean added another reason to the list of why Vatic was just as evil as Shade. Before the psychic left though, Dean asked her one simple question. He had asked if the psychic knew a man by the name of Sam Winchester. The reaction from the psychic had been interesting: her eyes narrowed, as if trying to assess whether or not Dean was a threat. The psychic offered a tight-lipped no before walking out of the warehouse. Dean wasn't sure what to make of that response, but he couldn't ignore the feeling of hope that was in his heart. Dean had stayed with the people of the warehouse as they needed him and even Dean would admit it was easier to stay where one was needed instead of trying to find someone he didn't know was still alive or not.

Exactly two years and one month after Below came Above, a rogue psychic decided it would be a good idea to attack the people who lived in the warehouse. Something about her screamed familiarity, but Dean couldn't figure it out as he yelled for people to get to safety. The people ran as Dean continually fired silver bullets at the psychic, but the psychic appeared to have some sort of shield around her. Dean was going to try to go into and do some close range fighting with a knife, but before he could take one step closer to the rogue, a masculine hand grabbed his shoulder. Dean turned around and was face to face with a man who was wearing better clothes than Dean had seen in two years. The man was tall, but the cloak he was wearing easily obscured any facial futures.

Whoever it was spoke with a gentle voice, a voice that just screamed 'trust me'. "Rest, weary hunter. I have come for the rogue."

Dean glared at the him. "If you're from Vatic or Shade, I want nothing to do with you."

"I am from Vatic, but I want nothing from you. I've come only for the rogue and then I will leave you in peace." When Dean glared at him, the man shrugged. "None of your weapons will hurt her, Dean. Only a weapon crafted or blessed by someone in Vatic can kill a rogue."

Dean's eyes were narrow. "How do you know my name?"

The man appeared surprised at his slip, but shook his head. He pulled one long knife out of his boot and Dean could have sworn he'd seen the knife before. "I just do. If you will excuse me, weary hunter."

Dean watched as the man walked towards the girl. Her eyes were a soft green that Dean was sure were once bright with intelligence but now seemed dulled with stupidity and insanity. Brown curly hair was messily pulled up, making her appear even more insane.

The man stopped about twenty feet from the girl. "Chessa Willflower, you have been charged by a grand jury of Vatic's choosing. They have found you guilty of all charges. You have been charged with Willful Disobedience of the Vatic Charter, Willful Destruction of Vatic Land, Disturbance of Peace, General Lawlessness, Resisting Arrest, and the Murder of the Human known as John Winchester. What say you to these charges?"

Dean stared hard at the man in front of him. How did a bastard from Vatic know of his father's death? Dean slowly walked towards the two from Vatic.

The girl laughed, sending chills down Dean's spine. "I don't know, Sammy. What do you think I should plead?"

Dean froze at the name Sammy and tried to see through the cloak to see if the man wearing it was indeed his little brother. The man, though, seemed unperturbed. "Chessa, you know what will happen if you don't plead."

Chessa glared at the man. "I dare you to say it, Sammy. I dare you."

The man said one simple word and yet it seemed to have all the power in the world. He shook his head and softly said, "Finis." Chessa screamed as the necklace Dean just now noticed floated in front of her before exploding. Dean noticed the chain had left a visible red welt around her neck. The cloaked man made a circle above her head before neatly slicing through the mark on her neck. The body exploded, causing the hood of the cloak to fall from the man's head in the slight breeze that followed.

And before Dean stood Sam Winchester.

Four days before Below came Above, Sam had been sick. He was getting over a nasty cold and he was sure if he could rest for just one more day, he would be completely over the cold. Jessica was out of town and his friend Jeff had made sure to stop in and visit in the morning and at night. As soon as Jeff had left on the fourth day before Below came Above, Sam knew that there were other people in the room with him. When he asked who was there, three people appeared. Sam reached for the knife that was no longer kept under his pillow and glared at the people, asking why they had come.

Sam was shocked when they told him they came to train and to teach him. Sam was told of what was to happen and his part in it. To Sam's credit, he was not shocked, but instead accepted what they told him as if he all ready knew what they were saying.

And in a way, Sam did know what they were saying. He had seen this moment many times before in his nightmares (which he would learn were actually visions of the future) and he knew that this moment was coming the second he took his first breath.

Dean and Sam eyed each other carefully. Sam hadn't changed much, Dean noticed. Still a tall, lanky-ass bastard with his hair kept too long. His eyes, however, seemed far too old for the twenty-four year old man. It looked like Sam had seen far too many battles and had escaped death in many of them by a fraction of a second. Sam was wearing what must have been standard Vatic wear: a black cloak, black shirt, and black pants. Dean could see at least four other weapons stashed on Sam's body, but he couldn't tell what they were.

As for Dean, Sam noted that he had lost a little bit of weight, but was still as toned and well-muscled as always. His hair was still cropped short, but Sam was almost startled by how old Dean's face looked. Sam knew that the humans had a harder time coping than those who lived with Vatic, but Sam was still surprised that Dean looked much older than his twenty-eight years. Even though Sam knew that Dean knew Sam was indeed his brother, Dean still looked ready to fight.

As Dean stared at his little brother, he wasn't sure if he should hug him or hit him. Instead, Dean offered a wary smile. "It's been a while, Sammy."

Sam's reply was instantaneous. It was also familiar. "It's _Sam_. You can tell them it's safe to come out, I'm not going to hurt them."

Dean's eyes narrowed. "I don't trust you."

Sam grinned as he placed his knife back into the holder strapped to his leg. "You lie. You still trust me as much as you did six years ago."

"So, you come back after two years of playing nice with the bastards Vatic and expect me to trust you?"

This time, Sam's eyes narrowed at Dean before his head whipped around in the other direction. "Come out. I know you're there. Invisibility spells won't help you."

Dean stared in the direction that Sam was looking at but saw nothing. Suddenly, the air rippled and a demon appeared. This demon was well-dressed and seemed to have an aristocratic manner. His black hair was tied back and his blood red lips, contorted into a vicious smile, matched his tan face. A medieval sword was strapped onto his back. "Well, if it isn't the mighty Sam Winchester. I'm surprised that Conner let you out of his sights. Oh! I made a pun."

Sam had his knife back into his hand before Dean realized Sam had moved. "Leave. There are people here who never wanted to be brought into our war."

"Does Conner know that you think for yourself, Sam? His precious seer has a brain," the demon sneered at Sam. "You know you could do so much better on our side and yet you chose Vatic."

Sam tossed the knife at the demon who teleported away and remained unseen, tsk'ing at the knife. "Temper, temper Sam. You will be wooed to the dark side. If not today, then maybe tomorrow. Vatic will fall to Shade."

Dean watched as Sam took a deep breath. "What the hell was that all about, Sammy?"

Sam, however, was focused elsewhere. "Okay, there's nothing else here."

Dean narrowed his eyes. "And where the hell did you pick up the ability to know when something else was in the room?"

"I was born with the Gift, Dean." Sam said as he removed his knife from where it was imbedded into the wall.

"Can you speak English, College Boy?" Dean asked, still wary if this person was his brother.

"Yes, Dean I'm sure I'm your brother." Sam grinned at Dean's surprised look. "Dean, for me to belong to Vatic, that means…"

"I know what it means, Sammy. You're a psychic. Or psycho, it's hard to tell with you. I'm wondering how Joe College, who when he left was just your average geek boy, leaves college as a member of Vatic. What the hell did they feed you at Stanford?"

"I was born psychic, Dean. It just took a while for the powers to manifest, which is normal in my case. Besides, how thehell was I supposed to know the difference between regular nightmares and premonitions growing up the way I did?"

Dean looked like a small bus had run him over. "Wait a minute, Sammy. Premonitions?"

"I have the Gift, or the curse depending of how you look at it, of second sight. I also have surface telepathy, so lying to me will be a waste of you time. I can sense lies and extremely strong emotions. However, I can't sense undertones or actual thoughts."

"How did you know that demon was there?"

Sam shrugged. "I can feel when something or someone nearby is Gifted. It doesn't matter if they're good or evil, I can feel them."

Dean nodded, putting pieces together. "So, you spent the last two years of your life training your psycho abilities. You work for Vatic, which as far as most of us are concerned, is just as evil as Shade. You look better and smell better than anyone else on the face of this forgotten planet. In two years, you haven't even tried to let me know that you were alive. Do you even care that Dad and Jessica are dead?"

Sam looked like Dean had slapped him. "I know that dad and Jessica are dead. I saw both of them die, but I was still in training. I couldn't do anything. Jessica's death was fate, as was Dad's. Vatic had to wait for it's time to come."

"You never used to believe in fate, Sam. You used to believe in me." Dean said.

Sam looked pale and for a moment Dean regretted his words. "I used to believe in a lot of things, Dean."

People began to come forth from various hidden spots, all looking at Sam like they were going to murder him before he murdered them. One of the more rational old women walked forward and pointed her hunting knife at Sam. "Who is this, Dean?"

Sam bowed slightly, smiling. His voice once again fell into that 'trust me' octave and Dean wondered if Sam had picked that up in Vatic school or if he always had that ability. "I'm Sam Winchester, Dean's little brother."

"You're Vatic," her voice was accusatory.

Sam didn't even to bother to deny the fact. "Yes I am."

"Filthy bastard."

Dean may have been pissed and a little wary of his brother, but his older brother sense would not let anyone say those things about his little brother. "I'm sure Sam has a perfectly good reason for joining Vatic."

"Sam can speak for himself. Yes, I'm Vatic." Sam ignored the gasp and rolled his eyes. "I was here for the rogue, but I am also here to offer you the protection of Vatic. It's safe, where we live. There's food and actual baths…"

The old woman with the knife shook it at Sam. "We don't need help from Shade or Vatic."

"Sam!" A man ran towards Sam, covered in the same type of cloak Sam was wearing. "You were supposed to meet me ten minutes ago, but when you didn't return… Conner would kill me if something happened to you."

Sam grinned at the man and Dean ignored the stab of jealousy and bitterness. "I'm fine, Eric. Vlad was here, and I was talking to my brother."

Eric smiled tolerably. "Trying to save more lives, I take it?"

"We don't want to be saved." An old man steeped up next to the woman. "Dean here takes good care of us."

Eric nodded, frowning at them. "Fine, then. Let's go, Sam."

Sam nodded sadly. "If we're really not needed here."

"We don't need dogs of Vatic." Dean said, spitting on the ground near Eric's feet, ignoring Sam's look of pain. "Oh, Jeff says hi."

"Let's go, Sam." Eric said.

"Good-bye, Dean." Sam said as he turned towards Eric, took one step, and fell over in a dead faint.

Eric caught Sam as he fell to the ground. "Shit!"

Before Missouri died, she taught Sam how to deal with his surface telepathy. After Missouri died, another psychic taught him to manage his senses to let him know if what was approaching him was good or evil, powerful or weak, however, he wasn't as good as Missouri. As a result, Sam could only get a good idea of where something or someone was by concentrating on that little warning bell in his head. If Sam couldn't concentrate, then he couldn't pick out where the person or thing was.

Unfortunately, nothing could tame his visions. His second sight was something that refused to be controlled, giving him visions whenever possible, ignoring what time of day it was. Sam didn't mind the night terrors, it was the ones in the day that literally knocked him of his feet that bothered him. When Sam collapsed, he was always glad that he lived with others like him. They understood why he collapsed, and they didn't make fun of him because of it. Instead, the others "Gifted" with second sight tried to train him at least to be able to continue breathing when the dreams hit him. They knew that Sam's second sight was stronger than any of theirs. Everyone knew that Sam and his visions were a strong asset to them, but they feared for Sam because of the sheer strength of his visions. They also feared for his sanity.

The psychics waited until the fog lifted before creating a place to live. As humanity struggled above and somewhat below the ground on the Earth after Below came Above, the psychics made themselves a home well under the Earth's surface. They also made a name for themselves. They began to call themselves Vatic. They created laws and gave jobs. The people in Vatic lived simply in huts, but the Elder had a wonderful hut with more than two rooms; it had two levels. Of course, the person who is in charge and who really does nothing lives the best. Such is government. After a group of psychics rebelled in the twelfth month after Below came Above, charmed necklaces were created to keep people in check. It didn't matter what type of psychic you were, everyone wore a necklace. If you broke too many rules, the spell on the necklace was activated and you were rendered immobile. It was a simple spell, really. All one had to say was 'finis' and the spell was activated. However, the charm was spelled to be activated only by those designated to hunt down rogue psychics and only people who were designated as rogues by the Elder could have the spell used on them. Then, the speaker of the spell decapitated the rogue and the body went away in a little explosion. The necklaces worked wonderfully.

There were two types of psychics in Vatic: those with mental Gifts and those with physical Gifts. Those who have mental Gifts have Gifts such as surface telepathy or precognition, something that can only be noticed by the mind's eye. Those with a physical Gift can affect actual objects. The psychics who are Gifted with telekinesis are an example of those with a physical Gift.

The psychics who decided to live out the end of the world had been right; it was an interesting thing to see.

Dean watched in fear as Eric stopped his baby brother from falling to the dirty floor. "What the hell is going on?"

Eric glared up at Dean. "He told you about his second sight, right? Well, he's having a premonition. Must a pretty bad one… He hasn't collapsed because of one in months."

The old woman with the hunting knife pointed it at Sam. "Get him out of here. We don't need anymore trouble."

Before Eric could answer, Sam groaned and opened his eyes. "Dean?"

Dean shoved Eric out the way and grabbed his little brother. "Hey there, Sammy."

"My name s'not Sammy, it's Sam."

"Of course it is. What did you see?"

Sam shivered. "I saw more death, Dean. More dead bodies. We have to stop Shade."

Eric knelt down next to Sam. "Sam, why don't you close your eyes and rest for a bit? You've had a busy day. I'm going to take you back to Vatic."

"I'm not a child," Sam insisted as his eyes slid shut.

Eric moved to take Sam from Dean, and Dean actually growled at Eric. "You touch my little brother and I'll cut off your damn hands."

"I need to take Sam from you, Dean. He belongs to Vatic. The only way I'm not going to separate you two is if you come with us." Eric said.

Dean stood up, cradling his little brother in his arms. He frowned at how little Sam weighed. "I guess I'm going to Vatic then."

"Dean, you can't leave us." A younger boy walked up to Dean, gently tugging on Dean's trench coat.

"I've taught you guys well, you'll be fine. It looks like my little brother got into a lot of trouble while I was gone, and he needs me to take care of him more than you guys do." Dean said smiling. "Now then, Erica, my bag is in the corner. It should be packed and ready to go. Grab it for me, will you?"

Eric frowned at Dean, but made a waving motion with his hand. The bag and a blanket flew right in front of Eric and Dean. "Here are your belongings, and my name isn't Erica, it's _Eric_."

"Are you sure about this Dean?" the old woman walked up, still eyeing Sam and Eric with distrust.

"Yes, Ellie, I'm sure. Sammy needs me, and I could never let him down." Dean said.

The old woman nodded. "Very well, Dean. Take care of your brother, even if he is Vatic scum. We'll be fine here, you have taught our young ones well. Stay safe, Dean Winchester."

Dean nodded as he turned and walked away from the people. "You all do the same."

Although many of the humans attempted to stay out of the way of both Shade and Vatic, some tribes of humans did choose to ally themselves with a group. People who had seen countless murdered in the days and months that followed after Below came Above often chose to ally themselves with Shade. They had seen far too many killed and they didn't want to see anymore people murdered if they could help it. More often than not, people realized that they had made a mistake going to Shade, but they always realized it a little bit too late. Oh well, arms and legs aren't that important, really.

Others chose to accept the protection that Vatic offered. The enjoyed a mostly peaceful life, even if they weren't permitted to enter some areas of Vatic. The psychics were generally kind to the humans, even if they were a bit condescending and aloof at times. The humans understood, however, it was mostly an act to keep them safe. The psychics may have imposed strict rules about the humans, but none of the humans ever died as a direct result of a psychic from Vatic. The rogues were quickly taken down by the hunters, or at the very least, chased out the city so that no harm would come to its inhabitants.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Sequestration  
Author: moonfairyhime  
Rating: M, language  
Disclaimer: I don't own _Supernatural_ .  
Summary: The future isn't tomorrow, it's today, and this future isn't what anyone had expected. Humans stand between Vatic and Shade. Both brothers walk the path they believe is correct, but who knows what is right and wrong anymore?  
Feedback: I'd really appreciate it.

* * *

"Does Sammy get visions that horrible often?" Dean asked, lifting his still sleeping brother a little bit higher. Before leaving the warehouse, Eric helped put Sam on Dean's back as Dean positively refused to allow Eric to carry his little brother. However, Dean did allow Eric to hold Sam's place on Dean's back with Eric's Gift. Dean refused to use a fireman's carry and figured this way okay as Eric wasn't actually touching his little brother.

"He prefers Sam, you know," Eric said and then blithely ignored Dean as he mocked Eric's sentence, "And the answer to your question is no. Shade must be planning something big if the vision caused Sam not only to collapse, but to completely drain him like this. At least he didn't have a panic attack."

"Panic attack?" Dean asked, turning his head to look at the sleeping brother on his back.

Eric nodded. "Some of the stuff he sees is… grotesque, for lack of a better word. When Sam first began to receive premonitions on a grander scale, he started to lose himself in-between when he was awake, asleep, or in the throes of a vision. It took a lot of training for him to realize when he's awake and when he's not. The panic attacks seem to be triggered after a particularly bad vision, when he can't tell if he's made it out of the vision safely or if he's still witnessing things."

"You took care of Sam, when Below came Above, didn't you?" Dean asked and continued on when Eric nodded. "Thank you. I still think you're a rotten bastard and a Vatic dog, but thanks for taking care of Sammy. He always used to forget the important things, like when it was time to eat or even to sleep. He used to love to read…"

"Oh, he still does. I know not many books survive here on Earth, but some of the psychics who knew that the end was near managed to save some of the books. We've written books also, but it's hard to circulate them because we have no printing press. I'm not sure what you've heard about Vatic, but it's not much more civilized than up here. We have huts and clean running water and we grow a lot of things."

Dean's eyes narrowed and stared at Eric for a moment. "Wait a minute… Are you telling me that some people _knew_ the end was coming and that Below would come Above?"

Sam grumbled. "Only the most powerful seers knew, Dean, and most of them chose to die right after they had the premonition instead of trying to salvage Earth. There was no way to save Earth, Below was going to come Above one way or another."

"So many humans could have been saved, Sammy." Dean's angry tone contrasted the way he carefully stood still as Sam got off his back. "Did you know?"

"Know what, Dean?"

"Don't play games with me, Sam. Did you know that Below would come Above?"

The smile on Sam's face was far too old and far too wise for Dean's liking. "I knew since I was born that Below would come Above."

"You never told anyone." It was more of a statement than a question and Sam could tell that Dean was pissed off.

"Dean, you know that sky used to be blue. You know your name and your birth date. The fact I knew the world would one day end was just like you knowing that two comes after one. I never questioned it. I thought it was something that everyone knew. Eric, how far are we from our rendezvous point?"

"We should be almost there, Sam. I'd say in another ten minutes or so, we'll meet up with Conner and his group before heading home."

Sam shivered, even though the day was warm. "That's good, something doesn't feel right here."

"Bad feeling or good feeling?" Eric asked and Dean was surprised to see Eric tense.

"Eric, I can't tell… this area just feels off." Sam said, shrugging off Dean's look of surprise.

Any psychic who could sense things would feel off walking over that ground. Two years and a month ago, the fog that covered the Earth emanated from that point. The demons had been tired of hiding below the Earth and now wanted their revenge for centuries of banishment spells and exorcisms. The fog was something that took millennia to develop. The demons had to figure out the right amount of ingredients to put in to their mixture. They wanted to kill millions, if not billions of people, yet they wanted some to stay alive. It's no fun to take over a world and not have anything left to play with and destroy in slow, painful ways.

So, after perfecting the fog, the demons waited. They watched as humans became stupid, content, unassuming, and lazy. They watched as true stories became legends that became myths that became things to scare little children. They grinned maliciously as humans lost their superstitious nature and became creatures of logic and reason. They waited until hunters became all but extinct, and when no one was prepared for it, they struck.

So-called terrorists have nothing on demons. Terrorists only have a few short years to perfect their work. Demons have millennia.

They met Conner at the rendezvous point. Conner was a tall man in his late twenties with hard brown eyes and a shaved head. He didn't take shit from anyone and he gave better than he got. The only trick to Conner was that you had to watch out for his temper. He was the leader of a younger sect of Vatic. Vatic was divided by two sects: the older psychics who knew that Below would come Above and had formed Vatic and the younger psychics who either knew about the end or had been rescued by the seers of the older sect. While the older sect of Vatic made the rules, the younger sect was the one who normally carried out the orders. Conner's Gift was pyrokinesis, which helped people stay on the good side of his rather short temper.

"Sam, who the hell is this?" Conner asked, pointing an accusing figure at Dean.

"Don't take the tone of voice with Sam," Dean growled out. Sam was shocked for a minute; they had been apart for almost six years and yet Dean had reverted into big brother mode in less than a half hour.

"Conner, this is my big brother Dean. He's coming with us to Vatic." Sam said.

Conner looked over Dean and walked away. Sam nodded at Dean, "It's okay, Dean, you can come."

"I was planning on it anyway, Sammy. You get into too much trouble on your own," Dean said, ruffling Sam's hair like he was five again. "What's his deal?"

Conner turned around and the dead shrubbery next to Dean's feet caught fire. "Don't mess with me, Dean Winchester. I set things ablaze with my mind. You may be Sam's older brother, but you are not like us. You have no right to question me."

"Dude, I can kill things with my mind," Dean said.

Eric poked Sam's shoulder. "Are you sure that idiot is your brother?"

"I'm sure. Conner, you'll have to arrange a meeting with the Elder for me. I had a vision."

"If you three are ready to go, I want to go home to Vatic," Conner said, "And Sam? If your brother falls behind or gets lost, it'll be on you. You better explain the rules to him, also."

The rules of Vatic are simple for humans; if you come in of your own free will, you can leave of your own free will. Humans know to stay out of the psychics' way and to stay in their own part of Vatic. While it's not complete segregation, it does keep them separated for the most part. The humans aren't allowed to fight or attempt to hurt, maim, or kill any of the psychics. And if a human brings a demon into Vatic, may heaven have mercy upon his or her soul because no one in Vatic will.

The rules of Vatic for the psychics, however, are a little bit more complicated.

It spoke of Sam's status in Vatic that Dean was allowed to live with him and Eric. Dean, however, was more than a little confused as to why he was placed with them.

"It's because Sam is one of the best, if not the best, of the young seers," Eric grinned, "Besides, he's also one of the best bounty hunters we have."

"_You're_ a bounty hunter?"

Sam nodded, "It's why I'm allowed to activate the charm to destroy a necklace. Whenever we get a rogue, I'm one of the ones sent to deal with it."

Dean nodded, seemingly filing away that info for future reference. "Are you the only seer here, Sam?"

"No, there are more of us. I'm not the only one."

Conner walked into the hut. "Sam, the Elder is ready to meet with you and discuss the vision you had."

Eric stood up and nodded. "Want me to go with you, Sam?"

"No, I'll be fine. Give Dean a tour of Vatic or amuse him somehow." Sam said as he walked out the door.

Dean glared at Eric. "I'm glad you took care of him while I couldn't, but I'm back. I can take care of Sammy."

"Can you really? Can you deal with his visions, when he wakes up trying to claw out his eyes? How about when he's in the middle of a panic attack and can't breathe? You weren't the one here when Sam was being trained; _I_ was."

"But I'm back now and I'm not leaving Sam again. It'll take a little while to get used to it, but I'll be able to handle the visions and whatnot. Besides, he used to get panic attacks when he was younger and I helped him through all of them," Dean said, still glaring at Eric.

"You helped him so well that they returned."

"A new form of stress was induced."

Eric looked impressed. "You've read about panic attacks?"

"When Sammy first starting have trouble breathing at random times, I was a bit worried about him. When he started have trouble breathing, getting dizzy, and then blacking out due to lack of air, I took him to a doctor." Dean said, "Doctor told me about Sam's panic attacks and treated Sam with some light medication and taught me how to walk him through a panic attack. He also gave me a few pamphlets to read on it so I'd be well-informed if more symptoms started to arise again. Surprisingly enough, I can read."

"I never said you couldn't," Eric said, the look on his face was grudging acceptance. "Sam suggested I give you a tour. Let's go."

Although most of Sam's visions were important to Vatic, this one was vital to its very existence. In two day's time, Vlad would be marching and he'd be marching towards Vatic and he was bringing along some friends. Although his army was small, Sam was able to point out many of the more powerful demons contained within the ranks of the army. The preparations to defend Vatic began as soon as Sam told the Elder the vision. Some began to set up high-energy wards to kill many of the lesser demons while others began to get the humans well hidden in the tunnels.

Dean watched as Vatic became ready to defend itself, his eyes unreadable. He would frown every time a person asked his brother where the placement of a ward should be and Dean refused to be placed in the tunnels with the other humans, safety precaution or not. Dean could tell something about the entire set-up was bothering Sam, but Sam didn't want to talk about whatever it was.

It took Dean six years to find his little brother, and for the time being, he refused to be apart from him for more than six hours. Dean was right, after all: Sam tended to get in to more trouble when Dean wasn't around.

A few hours before Sam guessed that Shade would be attacking, Sam and Eric were packing weapons for the battle as Dean watched. Eric and Sam kept saying two or three word sentences to each other before laughing lightly, and Dean was almost ready to kill Eric for the person that Sam had become. As Eric walked out the door, Dean called Sam back into the hut. Dean grinned in grim satisfaction as Sam waved Eric ahead.

"What's up, Dean?" Sam asked, finally noticing the dour look on his brother's face.

"Nothing much."

"Try lying to someone who doesn't have surface telepathy and they may believe you."

"Is that the only way you can tell if I'm lying or not, Sammy, is by your surface telepathy? There once was a time you knew what I was thinking and that was without using any of your _Gifts_." Dean's voice probably could have frozen molten lava in Death Valley in the middle of a heat wave in August.

"Dean, what is going on with you? Is this about Eric?" Sam smiled gently and a bit condescendingly. "Dean, he'd never take your place. He lost his little brother before Below came Above and I knew I couldn't contact you until it was over."

Dean, who was momentarily reassured by Sam's words, frowned. "And who told you that you couldn't talk to me? Your Elder of Vatic?"

"He said it was too dangerous." Sam's voice lacked the confidence he had a moment ago, but he frowned. "What's going on, Dean?"

"I've realized something in the two days I've been here, watching people consult with you to put this ward here or there and seeing both older and younger psychics bugging you every fifteen minutes, asking you if you had a vision recently. You've lost even more weight, Sammy. You weren't at breakfast this morning and I know you didn't eat lunch of dinner yesterday. I don't think you've slept more than three hours since I've been here. I heard you lay down the other night, but an hour later, someone was here, knocking on the door. I didn't see you until lunch the next day. At lunch, you had enough time to eat a roll before you had were grabbed by another psychic."

"What did you realize, Dean?"

"I realized what you are to them, Sammy. You're a fucking tool. You're something that Vatic uses when it's needed, and when it's not needed, they keep it quietly put away. Only you're better than that, because when you're not needed to be hunting down rogue psychics, you're having dreams that tell the fucking future! You tell them what they need to know without them even telling you to do anything!" Dean glared at his little brother.

"Are you done yet, Dean?"

"No, I'm not. I want to know where the Sam went that didn't mind being called 'Sammy'. I want to know where the Sam went that didn't take an order from anybody, even his own father, if it didn't sit right with him. I want to know where the Sam went who wasn't afraid to speak his mind. I want to know where my Sammy is, the brother who trusted me without a shadow a doubt and believed in honesty above everything else."

"He's dead, Dean. He was fatally wounded when he saw his girlfriend die, and he died the night he saw his father die." Sam looked up at Dean, his eyes flashing in a warning that Dean wouldn't heed. "Do not call me a tool, Dean. After all, for years you were the perfect soldier to Dad. How am I any different from you?"

"Because you're Sammy! You're empathic, not someone who is so calm and collected. Man, you used to believe in something with your heart first and then your head, not the other way around. I don't want you to be me or Dad or Eric, I want you to be _Sammy_." Dean sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "I just want you to be Sammy, hell, Sam if you want to be. I don't want you to be the Vatic's prized possession, I want you to be my little brother."

Sam glared defiantly at Dean. "What if I want to be Vatic's tool? They respect me and they love me."

"Sam, if you didn't have visions or be able to sense shit, they'd drop you faster than I'd drop an ugly girl. They respect you because you're useful and there's not a damn soul here but Eric and me who actually love you for Sammy, not Vision Boy."

Sam opened his mouth to reply before shutting it with an audible snap. When he said nothing for a minute, Dean carefully shook his brother who didn't respond. "Sammy. Sam. Wake up!"

Sam suddenly snapped out of whatever had its hold on him and he was breathing heavy, trying to force words out at the same time as trying to breathe air in. Dean's eyes widened, realizing that if Sam kept up what he was doing, he was going to trigger a panic attack. "Easy, Sammy. Deep, easy breaths. Whatever it is can wait until you breathe again."

Sam felt the surge of panic begin to recede and he grimly smiled as Dean continued to coach him on how to breathe. "Dean, this battle. It's a set-up. Vatic wants Vlad to kill us."

The younger psychics are merely a tool. The older sect allows them to be impetuous, but that trait is only good at certain times. When they are following orders, impetuousness is a good thing: the difference between a dead rogue and a dead Vatic. However, the younger members of Vatic had been getting more and more attention lately from the humans and the older sect, especially the Elder, did not want this. They had the power, dammit, and if enough humans supported the younger sect, it would be easy to pull off a coup. And if the visions that some of the older seers had seen were to come true, the older sect was in deep shit.

The younger sect was more popular; they were friendly with the humans, no longer seeing the need to keep the humans as separated from them as they once did. The humans had been talking lately; maybe trying to bring the younger sect into full power; take them from the position of enforcing the rules to creating them. They also knew that the younger sect was beginning to become annoyed with some of the rules.

And the older sect would do anything to keep their power, even murdering those who only two years ago they sought to protect.

Dean didn't quite understand why Sam insisted on going to the battle even though he knew it was a trap. Sam tried to explain to Dean the same time as he tried to extract a promise to stay put. Dean didn't seem too happy, but Sam finally got him to swear on the Impala to stay in the hut. Sam ran to catch up with Eric, swearing on the pain of being called Vision Boy for the rest of his life that nothing was going to happen to his surrogate big brother. Eric, Dean, and Sam were going to have a peaceful life in Vatic, disregarding the fact that Sam's latest vision told him that Vatic was a lying piece of shit.

Sam caught up with Eric just as he was leaving through the gates. "Eric, we need to talk."

"Not right now, Sam. We have to defeat Vlad and his army," Eric said, and for the first time Sam pondered if Dean was right. What if he and Eric were just tools?

"Eric, I had a vision. We need to talk," Sam said, but Conner just glared at them.

"Eric, Sam, is there a reason you're behind the rest of us? Get a move on." Conner said, jogging to catch up with the front of the miniature army.

If this had been a Napoleonic battle, then Vatic would of lined up on one side of the field outside the gate and Shade on the other and they would have continued to maim, hurt, and otherwise kill each other until someone was left standing and he could run back to his side and that side could declare themselves the winner. However, this is not a Napoleonic battle so when Vlad was suddenly in front of Sam, Eric reacted by pushing Vlad back a step or two away from Sam.

"I told you, Sam Winchester, you will fall to the dark side. Your powers are far too great to allow you to play with Vatic," Vlad said, sneering as he was forced back another step by Eric's assault. "And you, Telekinesis Boy, you could come too."

Sam grabbed his long knife and stabbed into a free spot on Vlad. "I told you Vlad, I'm not joining Shade."

"But you have doubts about Vatic, Sam Winchester." Vlad said, smiling as he created a fireball and threw it at Eric, who easily reflected the fireball back to Vlad.

Sam's eyes flashed and he found himself wishing his Gifts were more physical then mental. "I will never join Shade, Vlad. Get that through your thick skull."

"Then our games here are done." Vlad said, before pulling his sword off his back. Vlad shimmered once before disappearing.

"Well, shit," Eric said frowning. "What the hell can he do again Sam?"

"…"

"He's your damn demon, not mine."

"Teleport short distances and turn invisible." Sam said, frowning. "Speaking of which, he's to your left."

Eric moved just as a sword cut through where he was standing. Eric grinned at Sam and they both tensed.

"Sam, Eric! Why the hell are you two not up here?" Conner's bellow could be heard for miles away and the nanosecond distraction it was for Sam and Eric was all that Vlad needed.

Vlad easily snuck up on Eric during that moment of distraction and grinned as he turned visible again, carefully placing his sword in front of Eric's neck. "Hello, Telekinesis Boy."

Sam turned to face Eric and paled. "Vlad, don't."

"Come with me, Sam Winchester." Vlad said. "Maybe I won't kill him."

"Sam, don't do it. Vatic needs you," Eric said.

"Eric…" Sam said, trying to formulate any plan that would have any chance of working.

"Tick, tock. Too slow," Vlad said, placing the sword closer to Eric's neck.

Sam nodded, seemingly coming up with a plan. Sam gripped his long knife tighter and ran towards Vlad. The first step that Sam took resorted in Vlad neatly slicing Eric's neck and by Sam's second step, Eric's body was lying in the grass. Sam's sixth step found Vlad's sword in his right arm and Sam's seventh step resulted in Sam's long knife in Vlad's stomach as Sam said a prayer in Latin. Sam dropped to his knees as Vlad disintegrated, before Sam crawled over to Eric.

"Eric, I'm sorry." Sam said softly.

"Don't be sorry, Sam." Eric said softly. "You have Dean and Vatic. You'll be fine. Stay safe."

Sam watched as Eric's necklace cracked in half before Sam laid his clock on Eric's body. Sam then stood up, eyes hard. He had work to do.

Sam came in to the Elder's room still bleeding from a battle that was still going on. When the Elder heard what Sam knew, he smiled condescendingly and told Sam that if he had a vision of Vlad saying this, then Vlad was lying. Why, Vatic would never allow the younger sect to walk into a battle like this. The older sect would never allow their precious fledglings to be maimed and killed like this. Why, the older sect saved their lives only two years ago, so why oh why would they now have them killed after all the hard work of saving their lives and properly training them. Sam was quietly chastised for believing such a lie could be true before the Elder shooed him away like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar right before dinner. Sam was then told to either go back to his hut or to the MedHut as the Elder had reports that needed his attention Sam walked out quietly, not believing or disbelieving what the Elder had told him.

It was a commendation to how good the mental shields of the Elder were and how exhausted Sam was that Sam never picked up on the lies that the Elder was telling.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Sequestration  
Author: Moonfairyhime  
Rating: M  
Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.  
Summary: The future isn't tomorrow, it's today, and this future isn't what anyone had expected. Humans stand between Vatic and Shade. Both brothers walk the path they believe is correct, but who knows what is right and wrong anymore?  
Feedback: I'd really appreciate it.

* * *

"You're right, Dean," Sam said softly as Dean bandaged his arm. Sam could go to the MedHut, but for reasons known only to Sam, he utterly refused. "I don't want to be a tool anymore. I don't want to die like Eric, I want to die like a true hunter, not someone's pet. I want to be Sam again."

Dean looked at his little brother. "Would you mind being Sammy again?"

"Only if you call me that," Sam said, a familiar grin on his lips, "However, we've got a small problem. I'm pledged to Vatic, I just can't walk out. They'll hunt me down like I hunted down Chessa."

Dean looked thoughtful. "Are you sure you can't break the contract, Sam?"

"No one has ever tried, Dean. It's a safe place here, and unless you go crazy, you don't want to leave it," Sam said, rubbing his temples, "Besides, I don't think they'll let me go."

"Why not? You said yourself Vatic has other seers than just you."

"When Eric said I was one of the best, he wasn't lying. They get flashes of what is to come. I get full-blown accounts." At Dean's confused look, Sam elaborated. "It's like you seeing that the Impala was a beautiful machine that deserved to be waxed every Saturday and it deserved only premium gas and someone else looking at it and seeing something with four wheels and a transmission. And if Vatic was willing to kill members of the younger sect for whatever reason, I'm sure they would have no qualms about keeping me here against my will just for my visions."

"Okay, then. What about breaking the necklace, Sam?"

"Good idea, but the necklace is tied to a psychic's life force. The gem in the middle isn't a gem at all, it's some of our blood. If we break the necklaces, we die. The necklaces are a damn good controlling device." At Dean's incredulous look, Sam sighed. "Look, Dean, when I agreed to the necklace, I wasn't planning on leaving. It was the first home I'd found since I left you and Dad."

"Are there any spells do remove it?"

Sam looked thoughtful. "I don't know, but I can check. Like I said, no one has ever tried to leave Vatic unless they were insane. I could try asking Conner, though. Make up some lie about needing the information or something like that. He'd help me, I think.."

Dean smiled at Sam. Even though they both knew the Elder would never let Sam leave, Sam still wanted to ask Elder Junior on how to get the hell out of Dodge. If Sam's honesty was a car, it'd be, well, it'd be the Impala. "Can you shield your mind?"

It was Sam's turn to look confused. "I'm sorry? Can I do _what_?"

"You know, like put a mental block on your mind?"

"I perfected a mental block against Shade, but I never tried one against Vatic. I could try though." Sam looked thoughtful, "But no matter what, we're going to be on the run for the rest of our lives. We'd be fighting against not only Shade, but Vatic too."

"And how was that different from before?"

"Touché".

At his brother's worried look, Dean grinned. "Don't worry, Sammy. I'll get you out of here."

Vatic was made to be a haven for all of those who lived there. While it wasn't as good as Earth had been, it was better than the Earth that was now. Fresh food, running water, and clean huts made it hard for people to want to leave. It was safe, no creature from Shade would ever try to take out such a fortress, unless of course, properly bribed. But the humans (and most of the psychics, for that matter) believe it to be safe and that was all that mattered.

No psychic had even tried to leave before, and for that matter, no human had ever. Dean would have no trouble leaving Vatic (and even though he had only been there roughly three days, a few would be glad to see him leave), but Sam would have a little bit more trouble. Once a psychic chose to live in Vatic, they were there until death. Those who wanted to leave were designated rogues and hunted down and killed. No psychic lived outside of Vatic for more than a week, unless on an official job from Vatic.

Of course, as the old saying goes, there's a first time for everything.

A day after Eric's death, Conner cornered Sam in one of the hidden libraries of Vatic. "Sam, what's going on? After Eric died, I noticed you left the battlefield."

Sam didn't bother looking up from his book. "Conner, do you know a way to remove the necklaces?"

If Conner was surprised by Sam's question, he didn't show it. "Sam, I asked you a question. What's going on and why do you want to know how to remove a necklace?"

"Conner, I'm trusting you to keep this secret. I'm leaving Vatic."

"Your brother has convinced you to leave, hasn't he?"

Sam finally looked up from his book. "I can't be a tool anymore, Conner. I want to have a life again."

"Sam, are you sure there's a life for you outside of Vatic? You've seen what's out there. People live primitively. They don't take baths, they don't have decent clothes anymore, and they don't have books," Conner said, trying to get something to appeal to Sam. "You aren't a tool Sam. You're a critical part of Vatic. Can you make a life out there, knowing what you know? People are going to find out that you were a part of Vatic and they aren't going to like you."

"I want to try to make a life." Sam said, eye filled with defiance.

"I'm not Eric, Sam. I can't give you kind words when you wake up from a vision, but I'd be there for you."

"Conner, I appreciate your offer, but I need Dean. I need my big brother."

"You leave Vatic and you will never be offered its sanctuary again." At Sam's nod of understanding, Conner signed. "I'll ask the Elder, tell him that I ordered you to hunt down a rogue or something ridiculous like that."

"That's all I ask Conner." Sam smiled as he watched Conner walk away. As soon as Conner was gone, Sam frowned. "You lying bastard."

Conner didn't want to betray Sam, but his ingrained sense of loyalty was screaming for him to do it. Conner paused outside the door to Elder's private rooms, where he was scheduled to discuss the outcome of the battle. Vatic _needed_ Sam, he was one of the most powerful seers ever. His second sight grew more and more accurate with each vision. Sam also wasn't too shabby in a battle. Although Sam's Gifts were mental, Conner trusted Sam to have his back with his long knife in any battle. Conner ran his fingers through his hair; the younger sect was his responsibility. Did he want to trouble the Elder with the idea that Sam might defect? Did Conner want to listen to the little voice that told him to let Sam go?

Conner didn't have Sam's precognitive abilities, but something told Conner that Sam would leave Vatic one way or another.

The Elder smiled as Conner walked in. "Ahh, Conner. How did the battle go?"

"We lost twenty-five psychics before forcing Shade to retreat due to Vlad's death." Conner said.

"Easy, boy. You may sit," the Elder waited until Conner sat down. "Now, what are you hiding from me?"

"Sam approached me today, Sir. He asked me how to remove the necklaces. He wants to leave Vatic, Sir."

"He does now, does he? You didn't tell him how to remove the necklace, did you?"

"Of course not, Sir."

"We can't have Sam leave, Conner. His visions are a powerful asset to Vatic and he will be a powerful asset to you once you take over Vatic in a few years."

Conner looked thoughtful. "May I ask you a question?"

"Of course, boy."

"Sir, if Sam is such an asset to Vatic, then why is he a bounty hunter? Why does he have one of the most dangerous jobs in Vatic?"

If the Elder was surprised or annoyed by the question, he didn't show it. He merely smiled at Conner. "Why, we all have jobs that we are good at; and Sam's niche just happens to be bounty hunting."

If Conner had anything else he wanted to add to the question, he didn't say. He merely nodded a good-bye before walking out of the door.

One of the visions that the Elder received once he moved the psychics to Vatic was that Sam would bring about a great change. His vision wasn't specific as to when, but when Sam went to hunt down Chessa, the Elder knew the time of change had to be soon. Contacting Vlad to kill Sam may not have been one of his best ideas, but the Elder liked being in charge.

The Elder didn't know what kind of change Sam would bring about in Vatic, but, nonetheless, he was trying to make sure that the change was never brought about.

"You told Conner," Dean said, his face a mask of disbelief, "about wanting to leave? Are you stupid?"

Sam tilted his head. "Something big is about to go down."

"Did you have a vision?"

"It's hard to explain."

"Well, try."

"It's not a vision, per se, more of a feeling. I know something big is about to happen and Conner plays an important part. I _knew_ he would tell the Elder, Dean, and I knew he was lying to me during the entire conversation."

Dean sighed and ran his fingers through his short hair. "Man, Sammy. I understand that you trust these feelings of yours, but dammit, it's hard for me to trust something that I can't see."

"I'm asking you to trust me, Dean, not my sixth sense. You do trust me, don't you?"

"Absolutely, little brother."

Sam nodded, seemingly pleased with Dean's sincerity. "You packed my stuff?"

"I'm glad to see you don't own as much black as I thought you did. I thought Vatic turned you into Goth Boy, too."

Sam couldn't help but grin. "We, Vatic, whatever, wear black just when going out on missions."

Dean was going to say something else, but Sam put his finger to his mouth. Dean frowned, and watched as Sam withdrew his long knife. One of these days, Dean decided, he was really had to ask where Sam stored that thing. Sam frowned. "Come out Conner."

Conner nodded as he walked into the hut. "Sam, I am going to ask you this once and I expect you to answer me honestly…"

Dean actually snarled at Conner. "First, you betray my little brother to your damn Elder and now you want Sam to answer your questions. I don't think so."

Fire began to dance around Conner's fingertips. Sam put his long knife away and sighed. "Conner, what do you want?"

"What do you know of the future?"

"Something big is going to happen. Something big involving you and the Elder." Sam said sitting down. "After that, it's foggy at best. I know this isn't set in stone, it can be changed by one minor thing or another."

"Sam, if you help me do one thing, I promise I will break the necklace you wear and release you and your brother from Vatic."

"Let's hear what you have to say," Dean said, standing behind Sam.

"Help me organize a coup." When Sam's eyes went wide, Conner quickly continued his explanation. "You're right, Sam. The younger sect is just a tool to the older sect. We're playthings at best. I told the Elder that we lost twenty-five good psychics today and he didn't bat an eye. I told him you wanted to leave, and he mentioned how important your visions are and then I asked him why he made you a bounty hunter. He had no answer."

"He didn't bat an eye because he staged the battle. He wanted us killed," Sam said.

Dean looked like he was beginning to see the big picture. "People like Sammy, don't they?"

Conner nodded. "A lot of the humans like him. He spends a lot of time working with them when he's not out hunting rogues. Older and younger psychics like him because he's a bounty hunter."

"Sam is also sitting this room right now," Sam said, frowning at the two older men.

"People also know that Sam's a seer and if he foresees something, they'll most likely go along with it. I've heard a lot of the humans becoming annoyed with the segregation between us when it's not even needed any more. Some of the younger psychics don't like the old rules, like the ones on leaving Vatic. They don't like how things are done and how all rules are made by the older sect. No one from this sect has a say in the rules."

"And you're willing to change all this?" Dean asked.

Neither Conner nor Dean noticed the distant look appear on Sam's face. Conner nodded. "I am. Things need to change around here. Earth will never go back to the way it was before Below came Above, but psychics can do more to help the humans who chose to not live in Vatic."

Dean nodded his approval. "I'm in. What about you, Sammy? Sam? Oh shit, not again."

Sam gasped he came out of the vision and Dean was immediately on he knees next to Sam. "Hey, Sammy. Keep breathing. There you go. In and out. Now what was that all about?"

Sam took a calming breath, and smiled at his brother. "Everything will go as it should."

"Thank you, Master Yoda," Dean said, rubbing his temples.

Conner, however, took it as it was meant. "Should we rebel Sam?"

"Conner, look into your heart. Do what you feel is right, not what other people want you to do. You've made logical reasons to organize a coup, but does your heat believe in them?"

Conner spent most of the night alone in his hut thinking. He had been loyal to Vatic and the Elder since the night they came and took him from his bed on the Marine base. He took orders from the Elder, always ignoring how wrong some of the orders made him feel, but he always carried them out in proper Marine fashion. As a Marine, he was trained to follow orders, but he technically wasn't a Marine anymore. He was a solider of Vatic. When he was given the power of leading the younger sect, he vowed never to let anything happen to them. Marines don't leave people behind.

Conner had promised himself that he would work himself into a position to be able to change things in the Marine Corps, and as a the leader of the younger sect of Vatic, he was in a position to change things.

And change things he would.

If the older sect knew of the coup that was going on right under their very noses, they never said anything. Of course, with Dean and a few other humans drugging the older sect's seers, the older sect probably never knew what hit them.

Conner had found more support than he thought he would. Sam and all of the younger sect backed him on the coup, they all thought it was time for a change. Many humans also joined the coup, stating that they lived in Vatic too, so they should also get a voice in what goes on. What surprised Conner the most (although Sam didn't seemed phased by it, the bastard), was that a few members of the older sect joined the coup. Other members of the older sect chose to stay out of the coup, knowing what the Elder did was wrong and not wanting to admit that they were part of the Elder's plan.

Conner looked out at the assembled group. "We all know why we're here. We want a better life in Vatic. We've accepted that we'll never have the life we had before, so we have to make our lives now as good as we can. If anyone has any doubts to why they are here, leave now. I only want people who are dedicated to Vatic and to making this place a better place to live. I don't care if you hate me, work with me on this coup and we'll work something else out later."

When no one moved, Dean walked up next to Conner. "Some humans and me, along with Sam and a handful of other psychics good at sensing things, will distract the guards around the Elder's glorified hut."

"The older sect is in charge of keeping some of the more powerful leaders… busy. Others will be keeping humans safe. While we appreciate your support, we don't want any of you to be hurt in battle." Conner said. "I'll be going in to deal with the Elder, along with a group of people trained with a physical Gift. We move in five hours. Any questions?"

The government of Vatic was a simple and complex thing. It consisted of the Elder, who lived in his splendid two level hut, and his group of trusted Advisors. The Advisors numbered nine total, but they existed for show. All decisions were made by the Elder, "voted" on by the Advisors, and then carried out by the younger sect of Vatic. The government worked just fine as long as no one asked questions and everyone followed what they were told to do.

Oh, times were a changin' in Vatic.

Dean nodded as he led his small group of ten humans and six psychics through the narrow walkways towards the Elder's hut. Sam was by his side and Dean grinned to himself. If only their dad was here, it would be just like old times. Sam halted as two guards walked towards them and Dean watched as two humans silently brought them down. He nodded his approval and watched as Sam opened the door. Guards begin to file out and Dean cursed his luck.

"You thought you could get past unnoticed?"

Dean nodded. "Well, yeah. That's the whole idea of a sneak attack."

Another guard looked at Sam. "And, you, Sam Winchester, going against the Elder like this?"

Sam shrugged. "Seemed like the thing to do."

"Attack!"

Dean watched as Sam dug his long knife out again, pulling his own knife into the ready position. "Dude, where do you keep that thing?"

Sam neatly slashed a guard, disabling him but not killing him. "You don't want to know, Dean, believe me. You'll live longer."

It didn't surprise Dean that he and Sam still fought in almost perfect sync. As Dean knocked out one guard, Sam would wound another one. Their ballet was nearly perfect, they only missed a few steps that were easily rectifiable. Although the brothers had spent six years apart, it's hard to erase sixteen years of training.

The first thing the Elder noticed when he stepped out of his evening bath was that it was too quiet. He thought about when he knew and cursed; some days it was a pain to be right. He called all the guards he could, and was almost shocked when almost half of his guards didn't show up. When he questioned some of them about the missing, there were no answers. The Elder cursed again as he sent half of the guards out to defend the perimeter of the hut and ordered the other half to stand either outside the room or in the room.

The Elder wasn't going down without a fight, even though he wouldn't be doing most of the actual fighting

As soon as Sam and Dean and their group finished their work with the outside guards, Conner and his group moved in. As Conner watched his group knock out and occasionally maim the guards, he walked towards the Elder.

The Elder greeted him with a smile. "Why, Conner, it's pleasant to see you. However, the hour is late and I would like to retire."

"You're going to retire all right." Conner's eyes flashed as fire danced on his fingertips. "You let those psychics die and you didn't care about them at all."

"Of course I cared about them, boy. You don't know what it's like to have power," the Elder glared at Conner. "I saved all of their asses when I learned that Below would come Above, but when I learned that this coup d'état would happen, do you know how shocked I was? I saved you all and you would all betray me."

"You're purposely killing the younger sect of psychics. It wouldn't surprise me if the reason you declared so many psychics rogues is just to thin out the ranks of the younger sect," when the Elder said nothing in return, the fire dancing in Conner's fingertips grew, "You did. I may have sworn allegiance to follow you, but I swore to protect the younger sect. I swore I would do what's best for them and that is one promise I will keep."

Both the Elder and Conner ignored the body that came flying though the door. Most of Conner's group stood unharmed by the door, waiting for a command from Conner. Conner absentmindedly waved his hand and they quietly walked back into the other room.

"You say you don't want to become like me. Who is going to stop you from doing that?" The Elder sneered.

The fire dancing around Conner's fingertips died away. "Everyone will. I'll run Vatic fairly; everyone will have a vote. We'll protect everyone, not just those who live here."

"You don't have the power to defeat me, boy," the Elder sneered, "There's a reason I became the Elder. I'm the best damn psychic ever."

"Maybe when Vatic was first created, you were the best damn psychic ever. You've become complacent, you let your power as the Elder become you. When was the last time you had a clear vision of the future?"

The Elder slapped Conner's face and ignored Conner when he smirked. "Insolent bastard! My Gifts may only be the mental, but I can still predict the future accurately and I know you're not going to defeat me."

"What temperature does blood boil at?"

The Elder looked momentarily confused. "Why would I know a thing like that, boy?"

"You may want to find out," Conner said as the chair the Elder had been sitting on caught fire. "Because, when you hit me, you left your hand in contact with my face long enough for me to heat your blood. Your blood is going to continue to boil until you, more or less, pop like a balloon."

"You can't do this to me! I'm the Elder," the Elder looked worried at his own statement.

The edges of the room began to catch fire and as Conner began to walk out the door, the Elder shouted to him that he was a coward. Conner turned around and the robes the Elder had been wearing caught fire. "Do not call me a coward. I didn't send innocent psychics into battle just so I could stay in power. This building will be burned to the ground. Maybe we'll make this ground a memorial for all of those you killed, however indirectly."

Outside, Sam and Dean had the pleasure of watching the building burn to the ground as Conner and his group stood nearby. Dean turned to Sam and grinned. "I wish we had marshmallows."

In the week that followed the incident at the Elder's hut, Conner was put in charge of Vatic and he carefully selected advisors to actually do their job. He picked both humans and psychics to be his advisors, and he also began to create a more democratic system, though there were many kinks that needed worked out of their plans. However, everyone was ready for change and this time they wanted Vatic set up so that everyone was treated equal. If it took time, that only meant that there were going to get it right this time.

The day that Conner destroyed Sam's necklace was the same day that a makeshift memorial was erected to those who died because of the Elder's orders. Two days later, Sam and Dean bid goodbye to Vatic. Sam was sad to leave Vatic, after all, he had lived there for over two years. However, his heart was telling him one thing. He finally made it home.

And if home was a dusty highway with a brother who called him Vision Boy, then so be it. Sam was happy.

"It's a long ass walk to the next thing that resembles a town," Dean said, squinting at the sky.

"I miss the Impala." Sam said, adjusting his grip on his bag.

Dean nodded in agreement before turning serious. "Sam, what was the vision you had before Conner took over Vatic?"

Sam smiled. "Do you really want to know?"

"If I didn't, I wouldn't have asked."

"It was of this very moment. It was us walking down this old dirt road, continuing on the Winchester hunting tradition." Sam sighed.

Dean nodded, satisfied with that answer, but he had one last question for his younger brother. "Why did you go into that battle against Vlad, knowing what you did?"

"Because I'm Sam, Dean. I do stupid things like think with my heart and not with my head, which is better than you because you think with your dick."

"Bitch."

"Jerk." A true smile lit up Sam's face; easily brighter than the sun that now hid behind the fog.

The brothers Winchester were back.


End file.
